


Spring Tide

by extraordinary



Category: Free!
Genre: Albatross-winged!Rin, Alternate Universe, Dolphin-tailed!Haru, Established Relationship, Fantasy, M/M, MAYBE MAKE THAT FANTASY GENITALS, PWP, RINHARUWEEK DAY 6 (FLIGHT), Utter PWP, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2014-11-28
Packaged: 2018-02-27 06:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2683373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extraordinary/pseuds/extraordinary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's adept at choosing his own path without hesitation, yet there's no denying how much brighter his world becomes when Haru is swimming in front of him like a beacon—occasionally breaching the water while he races the shadow Rin's wings cast upon the waves. If only one day they could fly to the ends of the world together like that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spring Tide

**Author's Note:**

> Uh... Let me start out with a warning: this is 80% shamelessly self-indulgent smut, with a little sprinkling of accidental plot near the end. There's albatross!Rin, who luckily has a very normal pair of legs and arms, and his mate half-dolphin!Haru — who has acquired semi-dolphin genitals to match his tail, based loosely on [plaemon's art](http://plaemon.tumblr.com/post/62832486818/if-noone-has-written-merman-haru-seducing-land) (I took some liberties, like, ahaha, making it self-lubricating!). Written for Rinharuweek Day #6.
> 
> Don't say I didn't warn you, OK? :'D
> 
> P.S. While it's hard to stick an exact age on albatross!Rin here, please rest assured that he's legally old enough to be doing the things he does with Haruka in this particular 'verse. Rin's permanent coat hasn't fully come in yet, but that doesn't mean he isn't an adult. It just means that the change began sometime around time he came of age, but it hasn't quite finished yet. (And while he did choose Haruka as his mate _before_ the change started, there is nothing in this story that implies mating involves sexual acts of any kind. It's entirely left up to interpretation. Please imagine whatever you feel comfortable with.)

Rin squeezes his eyes shut and bites back the whimper threatening to escape his throat when Haru finally slides up behind him. The action presses the bare skin of Haru's chest flush against his back—and a good portion of his loosely folded wings—and forces their combined weight further down into the wet sand underneath his knees as a result. The long fingers splayed wide over his hips dig almost painfully into the vulnerable skin there, but he is far too distracted to pay them any mind. He can take it. He _wants_ to take it. He aches for Haru to leave a row of colourful bruises behind there—for Haru to leave a tangible mark on him that will linger for days...

Something Rin can take with him when the time comes for him to make his annual journey halfway across the Pacific with his dwindling colony, while Haru stays behind in the pleasantly warm waters along Iwatobi's shoreline with his pod. The days have gradually been growing longer and longer. It won't be long now until—

"Rin..." Haru murmurs, his breath tickling Rin where it displaces the fine hair at the nape of his neck. "Stop thinking."

Rin wants to reply that he can't do that, that there's no way he can ignore the persistent _tick tock tick tock_ of their time together rapidly running out as the temperature of the water rises—but that would be admitting defeat. Instead, he chokes out: "Make me _._ "

The fingers on his hips tighten their grip as Haru fulfils his request, indulgently rocking his lower body into Rin's while he steers the pointed tip of his slippery arousal in between Rin's buttocks. Rin clumsily braces himself on one elbow and reaches his other arm back to help guide Haru's hard length inside of him. Its tapered end enters him relatively effortlessly, as expected, and Rin groans in appreciation as he spreads his legs just a little further to accommodate Haru's tail. His arm slides back down to the sand as soon as it's no longer needed, fingers limp, and one of his wings twitches involuntarily. The angle is unfamiliar, and more than a little awkward, but it feels _really good_ —and Rin quickly discovers that he rather likes the feeling of Haru's moist breath caressing the back of his neck while he's slowly being stretched and filled.

It's not as if Haru really needs to be able to move his hips—or his smooth, rubbery tail—much in order to make Rin's vision blur and his blood rush in his ears, anyway. His body doesn't work the way Rin's does at all: he's got an enviable amount of control over the muscles that form his erection, with which he regularly enjoys driving Rin mad, in exchange for a slightly shorter endurance and entirely different method of achieving orgasm. Rin only understands the difference in _theory_ , though, because Haru's is the only body he will ever explore in this way—aside from his own, of course. He's got nothing else, other than the raunchy stories told by his friends in order to alleviate boredom and keep up morale during the long treks back to their nesting grounds, to compare it to. His kind mate for life, after all.

All he knows is that Haru likes occasionally mimicking the thrusting motion Rin's avian kin prefers—especially when they're out in the shallow water and he's got Rin's legs wrapped securely around the base of his long tail—but their current position doesn't allow such vigorous movement. No matter, they'll make do: Haru's tip is already cautiously working itself deeper inside to seek out the sensitive bundle of nerves that, when brushed _just so_ , will make Rin see stars in broad daylight.

"Better?" Haru asks, voice slightly hoarse with the strain of holding back. It takes Rin an embarrassingly long moment to remember what they'd been talking about only a few seconds ago. He can't seem to find his tongue, so he ends up nodding shortly in reply while he tries to gather his wits. He does feel better—if only because the heady feeling of Haru steadily easing the much wider base of his slick member all the way into Rin is enough to chase any lingering thoughts from the back of his mind. Rin knows his body isn't really meant to accommodate Haru's full length, and it _hurts_ , but Rin loves every second of the dull burning sensation and the intermittent sting of being stretched wide open.

When feels up to it, Rin blinks his eyes open and tightly clenches his muscles around Haru in encouragement. "...'m ready, H-haru, just—"

"—stop that!" Haru gasps, instinctively driving his pelvis forward and shocking an embarrassing whimper out of Rin. "I won't last long if you do that."

"You never do," Rin manages to retort, albeit very breathlessly. He squeezes Haru again for good measure. "Just hurry up, yeah? I don't want my little sister to find us like _this_."

"Gou wouldn't care," Haru tells him, stubbornly holding still—although he does ease up on his death grip on Rin's hipbones long enough to slide his arms around Rin's torso in what he must think counts for a placating gesture. Rin wishes he'd drag his fingers through the downy little feathers at the base of Rin's wings instead. "She's probably known for a few seasons."

"Don't talk about my sister while you've got your dick in my ass!" Rin complains, so loudly that if they do get discovered it'd probably be _his own_ fault instead of Haru's. Most of the bonded members of Rin's colony are too busy preparing for the upcoming migration to venture out to this inhabitable side of the island, but that doesn't mean they're entirely safe from discovery out here... Rin and Haru are far from the only ones who like to use this little alcove for clandestine meetings, after all. Thankfully the sharp rocks jutting out of the water here and there, along with a surprisingly strong undercurrent, make it an unattractive place for Haru's kin to explore—and, according to Haru at least, they've got far better play and hunting grounds further out at sea that make coming all the way out here 'too troublesome'.

"You're the one who brought her up, Rin." Haru replies irritably, pinching one of Rin's nipples in objection. Rin can't help but arch into the touch in spite of his rising embarrassment—nearly unseating Haru in the process. It feels way too good.

"It's different for us," Rin retorts on auto-pilot. Gou hasn't found—or rather, _chosen_ —a mate yet. She's still too young to make such life changing decisions, if you ask Rin. The fact that he himself ended up mating long before his brown coat had even had the chance to begin maturing is irrelevant. Not a single thing about his relationship with Haru could be classified under 'expected' or 'usual', after all. "I get that _you_ don't think it's a big deal, but this kind of thing...? It's supposed to be private—you know that!"

They've had this argument on countless instances before; certainly enough times for Rin to anticipate Haru's token reply by now—generally some infuriating variation of _"I don't see why it's such a big deal..."_ peppered with the usual reassurances that it's only natural, and inevitably followed up by the claim that the water doesn't care—and successfully derail it with a pointed roll of his hips.

Haru's breath stutters in response; and that's the end of their ill-placed discussion. Rin has to consciously remind himself to keep breathing when Haru begins _moving_ in earnest: initially he sticks to lightly brushing the very tip of his length across the sensitive knot of nerves deep inside of Rin, but it isn't long before he's applying steady pressure while he gently rocks their hips together in a rhythm that's satisfying to both of them. Rin continues to contract and relax his muscles around Haru in appreciation; it seems like he's too far gone to protest the extra stimulation now.

Rin's knees keep sinking deeper into the wet sand, his wings practically tremble with the effort to keep still, and Haru's breathing has begun speeding up considerably in a way that's making Rin's toes curl in contentment. It's hard to focus on keeping the both of them upright like this, and Rin simply wants to let himself fall forward and beg Haru to pound into him—just a little harder, faster, _stop holding back._

Instead he rests his forehead on the soothingly cool sand below, undoubtedly getting his fringe covered in it, and swallows down the moan threatening to spill from his lips in favour of convincing Haru to change their positions just slightly: "H-hey, hold on to my wings."

It seems to take Haru a while to process the request, but he cooperatively pushes himself up just far enough to grab hold of the slightly protruding bases as soon as he does. His touch is considerately gentle, if a little unsure, and Rin's eyes flutter shut at the intimate feeling of those long fingers disappearing completely under the fine layer of down that covers the skin there. "Like this?"

Rin hums in agreement while he braces his hands more firmly in the wet sand, feeling significantly more at ease now he no longer has to worry about dislodging Haru or sending both of them crashing down to the sand. He wonders briefly if he's going to have to actually give voice to any of the things he wants next, but Haru catches on surprisingly quickly and doesn't question why the hell they haven't simply moved back into a position that's easier on both of them yet.

He isn't sure he'd be able to explain it adequately—without inviting another argument—even if Haru asked, to be honest. He knows Haru prefers to do this face to face the way his kind is used to doing. As far as Rin is aware that's the only way Haru _can_ have sex with members of his own species, which is why there's something undeniably intoxicating about being able to offer Haru something different. Something new, unique even, that only the two of them can do; ranging from an impromptu race along the shoreline while they grin at each other through the surface of the water to a set of strong legs wrapping around the smooth length of a tail, or a pair of broad wings offering shelter from the wind.

He doesn't know half as much as he'd like about the kind of things Haru is missing out on by being here with him, but he can't help but long to provide Haru with an acceptable substitute for each of those. It's Rin's duty as Haru's mate, really, even if the latter would scoff at the idea of such an old-fashioned concept. Haru may not _understand_ it completely, but Rin knows he has grudgingly come to accept it. It was Rin's choice, after all, and he doesn't regret it. He wouldn't trade what he has with Haru for anything in the world.

"You're thinking again." Haru accuses suddenly, unabashedly interrupting Rin's wandering thoughts with an open mouthed kiss to the side of his neck. The rhythmic thrusts of his body falter momentarily.

Rin whines low in the back of his throat in complaint, arching his back and pointedly pushing his hips back into Haru's in a desperate plea for him to keep moving. "G-good things, Haru," He breathlessly assures. "Trust me."

Haru snorts in reply, but picks up the pace again without further comment. Rin nearly swallows his tongue when Haru unexpectedly retracts his erect length completely into its sheath for a split second before thrusting it back inside of Rin's body without warning. He tenses in surprise, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from moaning _too_ loudly, and does his best to ride the wave of intense pleasure threatening to overwhelm him.

Rin isn't given much time to adjust to the added sensation at all before Haru is repeating the motion. All he can do is pant harshly into the sand while his hands clench and unclench around thin air. It's good. It's really, really, _really_ good.

"Fuck!" He whimpers hoarsely, desperately trying to regain some control over his body in order to squeeze Haru more firmly in reward. "That's— _ngh!_ —don't stop!"

Haru indulges him as well as he can until Rin's legs abruptly give way and they both end up in a sweaty, shivering pile on the sand; even then he only spares the barest of moments to ensure Rin's comfort before he's raking his fingers through the tough exterior feathers at the edges of Rin's quivering wings, carefully coaxing them into a neat fold, and nudging Rin to roll over onto his side.

Rin groans in disappointment, but lets himself be manhandled into the new position without protest. Haru easily slides up behind him once more, tugs Rin's hips closer to his own, and for a moment _everything is blissfully perfect_ —until Rin inevitably becomes aware of the disgusting beach grit clinging to his throbbing cock, and the irritating way his alular quills are digging deeper into the ground with each of Haru's thrusts.

"Rin?" Haru asks, quickly catching on to Rin's discomfort and pausing his movements accordingly. "Let's move."

Rin curses loudly, making very little effort to hide his annoyance, and pushes himself up into an awkward crouch as soon as Haru slips out of him. Throwing a cursory glance around the empty alcove to determine the best spot for the two of them to relocate to, he suggests: "Back into the water, then?"

Haru nods in poorly disguised relief, holding out two sand covered hands for Rin to take. "I was getting uncomfortable, too."

"You're supposed to tell me these things, Haru!" Rin reminds him sourly. He grabs hold of Haru's hands with a frown and carefully links their fingers together before unfolding his wings in a flurry of wayward beach dust and excess downy feathers. Scoffing at the mess he's making of their hide-out, Rin irritably shakes his primaries out properly with a couple of powerful strokes. The resulting force lifts him off of the ground, and helps him tugs Haru back into the water with minimal effort. "I can't read your mind the way Makoto does, y'know."

"I'm telling you now." Haru points out infuriatingly calmly while he lets Rin drag him further into the waves. Rin gingerly lands knee deep into the water next to him. His neglected cock juts out rather embarrassingly—and directly at Haru's eye level, to boot. To his credit Haru merely raises a calculating eyebrow before cupping his hands, scooping up a good amount of foamy ocean water, and attentively rinsing off all of the dirt stuck to the sensitive skin there.

Rin sighs gratefully, eyes closing of their own accord, and lets himself enjoy Haru's gentle ministrations. The gesture is soothing—unexpectedly intimate, really—and it goes a long way to settle his ruffled feathers. When Haru is finished, Rin reluctantly opens his eyes and implores: "Let me do the same for you?"

Haru shrugs in a disappointingly neutral fashion, but allows the waves to carry him back onto the bank—where he sits up and accommodatingly shifts around until only the lower half of his tail remains in the water—either way. Rin follows him there, kneels down besides Haru and keenly begins returning the favour. He waits for a big wave to roll in, traps as much of the clear water within his palms as he can, and uses it to chase the odd patches of sand away from the flushed skin of Haru's lap. Watching Haru's body language carefully for any signs of discomfort, he places his hands on either side of the slightly swollen slit near the base of Haru's tail and starts moving them in circular motions.

"That's nice, Rin..." Haru reveals with a content sigh. "Keep going."

Rin obliges him, softly massaging the sensitive area around the opening until the tip of Haru's arousal slides out to curls itself around one of his thumbs and tug it closer. "You could just ask, you know?" Rin snorts in amusement. He raises his gaze to meet Haru's half-lidded one while he cooperatively brushes his fingertips over the moist, velvety surface of Haru's faintly throbbing erection in haphazard patterns.

Haru dazedly tries to return it, but quickly loses the struggle to keep his eyes open under Rin's soft touches—and when those gorgeous blue eyes inevitably flutter shut, Rin quickly leans in to press a doting kiss to Haru's parted lips. The stark contrast of this tender moment with their earlier frantic movements isn't lost on him; it buzzes insistently in the back of his mind and makes him feel light-headed.

"There?" He whispers against Haru's slack lips, enjoying the striking taste of Haru's shaky exhales merging with the sharp tang of the ocean air on the tip of his tongue. He indulgently keeps rubbing the pads of his fingers across the rigid base, applying just a hint of pressure whenever Haru's breathing falters.

Haru doesn't bother to reply, but he moans Rin's name encouragingly—barely audible over the constant noise of the waves hitting the shore—and wraps his arms around Rin's shoulders to pull him near. Rin blindly moves one of his hands up to caress Haru's jaw while they breathe into each other's open mouths. His other hand stays where it is, still held firmly in place by the grip Haru has on his thumb. He deepens the kiss with a pleased sigh and distractedly releases his wings from their tightly folded position. It takes him a while to find his balance, what with his knees sinking deeper and deeper into the soft sand, but when he eventually feels confident enough to throw his leg over Haru's tail he does so with one swift movement.

They stay like that for a long while, simply enjoying the moment and each other's proximity, right up until begins Haru noticeably tensing underneath him. They've done this kind of thing enough times by now for Rin to recognise the signs of Haru's impending release, so he breaks their kiss—and Haru's stubborn hold on his thumb—to slide the sweaty skin of their chests together. Throwing an arm around Haru's shoulders and stretching his wings wide for extra support, Rin grinds his ass down into the hard muscle of Haru's erect length in a blatant request for them to continue where they'd left off earlier: he has no intention of hiding how badly he wants Haru to come inside of him today.

"C'mon, H-haru..." Rin entreats, voice surprisingly rough and desperate, as he presses his nose into the crook of Haru's shoulder. He's too far gone to feel embarrassed about the way he's practically humping Haru's tail; the sensitive skin of his uncovered glans digging into Haru's abdomen while his balls drag back and forth across the wet, rubbery surface of Haru's tail feels _absolutely perfect._ "I want—"

Haru buries his fingers in the back of Rin's hair at roughly the same time his tapered length finds its way back into Rin's welcoming body, effectively cutting off whatever Rin had planned to say to convince him. It doesn't take much more than a couple of well-planted rolls of Rin's hips and grunted endearments for Haru's tail flukes to arch out of the water with a splash. The movement would've undoubtedly unseated him if he'd been caught by it unaware. In fact, the force of Haru's orgasm surprises both of them—Rin usually can't make out the short, hot spurt inside of him as clearly as _this_. He savours it, eagerly leaning back to take every little detail in: the way Haru's head is thrown back in a soundless moan, how his dark fringe is glued to his forehead by beads of sweat and his chest heaves with the effort to pull oxygen inside of his lungs... It's a stunning sight to behold.

When Haru's tail gradually relaxes and falls back down into the water, followed by a subtle slackening of the fingers in Rin's hair, Rin gives in to the urge to place a tender kiss on his forehead. "That good?"

"Yeah," Haru grunts breathlessly, somewhat apologetically untangling his limp fingers from Rin's hair and leaning back to brace himself on the beach with his elbows—mindful of the curved fluke at the centre of his spine. He meets Rin's eyes as soon as he's made himself comfortable and smiles tiredly. "Keep moving, Rin."

"You want me to ride you?" Rin clarifies uselessly, unable to prevent himself from breaking out into an excited grin. He can do that. Oh, hell, he can _definitely_ do that.

Haru nods once, then promptly arches the base of his tail off of the sand and buries himself deeper into Rin with a sharp thrust of his hips. It's a blatant challenge; one that Rin will gladly accept. He digs his knees firmly into the sand and lifts his hips just a couple of centimetres before lowering himself down again, coaxing a low groan out of both of them. Encouraged by Haru's favourable reaction, Rin cautiously lifts himself up a little higher on each stroke—until he eventually feels like he's given his mate enough time to grow accustomed to the overstimulation and finally begins riding him in earnest.

Rin has to admit that there _are_ downsides to Haru's puzzling anatomy—the most obvious of those being his lack of wings and his need to stay within arms-length of a body of water at all times—but the ability to stay hard long after climaxing definitely isn't one of them. It's an indisputable perk. "Comfortable down there?" He drawls, self-indulgently running his hands up and down the lean muscles of Haru's chest and abdomen. "D'you think you can come again?"

"Haven't had enough yet?" Haru replies without missing a beat; although the way he immediately arches up into Rin's touch softens the blow quite a bit.

Rin laughs—a guttural, croaky little sound that startles both of them—and only _just_ manages to keep himself from answering Haru's ridiculous question with an automatic denial. It seems like Haru's blasé attitude towards sex and embarrassing bodily functions is, slowly but surely, starting to rub off on him. "Not my fault you're— _ah!_ —always finishing first!"

"Just like our races, then."

 _Honestly._ Rin probably should've seen that one coming, though. He walked right into that one.

Instead of dignifying Haru's taunts with an answer, Rin merely leans down to shut him up with a clumsy—yet undeniably effective—kiss. The movement traps Rin's neglected erection in between their bodies as an added bonus. The unexpected friction feels wonderful, and Rin shamelessly grinds himself into the smooth skin of Haru's abdomen as well as he can in his crouched position while he grudgingly allows Haru to dominate the kiss.

There's too much teeth, and too little tongue, but it's making Rin's toes curl and his head spin regardless. Before Rin knows it, the muscles in his thighs are starting to burn with exertion. He reluctantly pulls back, distractedly wipes a loving thumb across Haru's swollen bottom lip to break the thin trail of saliva connecting their mouths, and carefully settles his full weight down on Haru's tail to catch his breath.

"Want a hand?" Haru asks quietly; there's no hint of a taunt in his voice this time—he genuinely wants to know.

Rin shakes his head, eyeing Haru's hands with undisguised scepticism. When Haru simply frowns in confusion, he adds: "You're covered in—"

"I didn't mean literally," Haru interrupts with a scowl. "Let me do the work. You're close, right?"

It's obviously true. He wouldn't be able to deny that even if he'd wanted to—and Haru would see right through it if he did. "Won't your fin get in the way, though?"

As expected, Haru ignores him completely.

Rin grudgingly places his hands down on Haru's shoulders and raises his hips just a little to signal his cooperation. Haru immediately rewards him with an experimental—yet unsurprisingly powerful—thrust of his tail. It takes a while for him to find his momentum, but what he lacks in finesse he makes up for with sheer determination. By the time Haru settles into a steady rhythm, Rin is already panting harshly while his thighs tremble and his fingertips dig desperately into Haru's skin for purchase.

His skin feels too hot, despite the cool water lapping at his ankles, and he can't seem to find his tongue. His broken moans and whimpers only seem to spur Haru on, however, and soon they're both gasping for air while the water sloshes wildly around them. It's surprisingly rough in comparison to their earlier love making—but it's exactly what Rin's been secretly craving all along. He wants Haru to go just a little faster, a tiny bit _harder..._ and leave Rin pleasantly sore during his flight home tonight.

Haru appears to be able to read his mind perfectly right then, because he picks up the pace and rocks his hips upwards in such a way that forces Rin to spread his legs even wider.

"Shit!" Rin groans helplessly, squeezing his eyes shut to try and block out the tidal wave of sensations threatening to overwhelm him. It's good. It's so fucking good. "That's it, Haru— _that's it!_ "

It only takes one... two... _three_ more well-placed thrusts for Haru to successfully send Rin flying over the edge—figuratively, that is. His entire body tenses almost painfully for a split second before he's crashing into Haru's chest, sending both of them jerking alarmingly towards the ground, and barely remembering to brace himself on the sand with an outstretched arm in time to avoid crushing Haru's dorsal fin underneath their combined weight.

Haru lets out a faint grunt in surprise before deftly rolling them sideways with a powerful kick of his tail. "Rin?"

Rin can't speak. He can barely even _breathe_. His cock is still throbbing with aftershocks, covering his glans completely with the sticky evidence of his climax—although most of it probably landed on Haru's chest before he'd rolled them over. He can't seem to open his eyes long enough to confirm his suspicion, though. All he knows is that Haru isn't inside of him anymore and that his body palpably aches with the loss.

"Should I push you onto your back?" Haru's voice is trying to ask him over the deafening rush in his ears. "You look uncomfortable like that."

"....'m fine." Rin manages at last, even though he'd landed rather awkwardly on his right wing. He smiles, albeit a little tiredly, when he feels Haru press a relieved kiss to the bridge of his nose. "Aren't you overdue for another dip?"

"I'm fine." Haru echoes dryly, although he quickly makes sure to take the sting out of it by lovingly rubbing their noses together. Rin shivers, stretching his left wing out completely over both of them in what he hopes is a clear request for his mate to stay put underneath its cover. He loves it when Haru touches the tip of of his nose to Rin's like this—it's an affectionate gesture bonded pairs of his colony engage in during the mating season, something that is wholly foreign to Haru's pod and therefore entirely for Rin's benefit.

They stay there, nose to nose, until Rin regains complete control over his body at last and regretfully props himself up on his elbow. Haru is lazily stretched out next to him, head cushioned on a half-folded arm, with a curiously vulnerable expression on his face.

"You look good like that, Rin."

Rin blinks at the unexpected compliment, feeling his cheeks burn. "Completely worn out by you, you mean?"

"That, too..." Haru allows with a huff, and Rin can't keep his eyes off of the corner of Haru's slightly upturned mouth. He really wants to taste that smile. "I meant your wings, though."

"You think so?" Rin asks dumbly, completely floored for a second. He hadn't noticed any significant changes in his coat recently—but then again, Haru _had_ gotten a front row seat earlier. "It's not even finished yet!"

"It suits you," Haru insists quietly, reaching a sand covered hand out to touch the underside of Rin's wing. The feathers there, with the exception of his marginal coverts, are now a blinding white. Back when Rin and Haru had first met each other, on a rocky shoreline not very far from here, those feathers had still had a rich brown colour. "I like it."

Rin does his best to keep still while Haru rakes skilful fingers through his primaries; he manages just fine when Haru repeats the process with equal—if not more—care on his secondaries, but when the unhurriedly wandering touch inevitably reaches his sensitive scapulars he loses the battle very quickly. Haru makes a startled noise when Rin throws an arm across his shoulders and knocks their noses together in a hedonistic kiss, but he doesn't move away... and he lets Rin pull him closer without complaint.

It gets rather uncomfortable soon, however, and Rin is forced to roll over onto his back before he damages any important exterior feathers. Haru follows him without needing to be prompted, crawling into Rin's lap with a graceful—practised—move, and unabashedly fits their mouths together for _more._

With his wings spread out over the soft sand behind him and the comforting weight of Haru's body on top of his, Rin no longer needs to worry about any feathers or dorsal fins getting in the way. He lets his hands roam the flawless expanse of Haru's back and the base of his tail, covered in sand and sea foam as it is, while Haru breaks the kiss to taste the sweaty skin of Rin's neck.

"Shouldn't you get back in the water?" Rin gasps, pliantly raising his chin to present Haru with more skin in spite of his words. "Your skin's starting to feel pretty dry..."

Rin is expecting an agreement followed up by a relocation, but Haru surprises him with an other option: "I want to do something first."

"Oh?" Rin queries, raising an eyebrow in his confusion—despite the fact that Haru isn't even looking at him.

Haru doesn't reply. Rin hadn't truly expected him to anyway. Instead he lightly scratches his blunt fingernails over the leathery skin of Haru's dorsal fin while Haru slowly kisses his way down Rin's chest. His mate's moist lips avoid the patches of sand sticking to Rin's skin with impressive accuracy, and Rin finds himself wishing he'd folded his wings underneath him so he'd have been able to prop himself up on his elbows and watch the show. Instead, he's stuck gasping in surprise when Haru's lips suddenly find their way to the head of his flaccid cock.

He had _not_ seen that coming.

Rin hisses out a shocked exhale as Haru's tongue confidently laps up the drying traces of semen covering his tip and the sensitive skin around it. Haru takes his time, carefully running his tongue over the protective layer of skin there before using his lips to push it back down over the glans to make sure there aren't any grains of sand left behind underneath it. He doesn't suck Rin the way he usually would—his tongue does all the work while he just holds him softly in his mouth.

"You're going to get me hard again if you keep that up," Rin warns him regretfully, running a hand through Haru's dark hair in order to catch his attention. "Let's get you back in the water."

Haru lets him slip out of his mouth with an embarrassingly loud slurp—undoubtedly added purely for Rin's benefit—and reluctantly heaves himself back into the rolling waves. Rin gets up on shaky legs and makes his way over to one of the nearby rock formations. It's his favourite place in the alcove, and incidentally where he'd left his clothes in a neatly folded pile earlier. Climbing up here had once been quite the challenge, but by now Rin could probably find his footing on the slippery rocks with his eyes and wings closed. Once he makes it to the top, he sits down and lowers his feet into the water.

"Aren't you coming in, too?"

"In a minute," Rin reassures him, ignoring the unmistakeable pout that appears on Haru's face as soon as the words leave his lips. "Can you jump up here first?"

Haru shrugs, then vanishes underneath the surface with a modest splash. His dorsal fin pierces the water a good fifty metres away a couple of seconds later before disappearing again as he picks up speed and prepares to jump. Rin follows the blur of his mate's movements underneath the water with his eyes and makes no effort to hide his admiration. It's undeniably impressive how easily Haru jumps up next to him—his breathing enviably steady while he regards Rin curiously. "Now what?"

"I wanted to return the favour." He confesses, meeting Haru's gorgeous blue eyes a little shyly. Haru simply continues to stare at him, though, so he tentatively presses his palm down on the centre of Haru's lap. The skin there is no longer as flushed as it was before, but it's still noticeably swollen. While Rin knows their bodies don't work the same way, and that erections are more of a voluntary state for Haru's kind, it's still hard for him to feel comfortable with the idea of leaving his mate unsatisfied.

"There's no need," Haru predictably reminds him—although doesn't seem to truly mind Rin's touch. "Weren't you worried about Gou finding us?"

That certainly stops Rin in his tracks much faster than an irritated hand batting him away would've done. He should probably put his clothes back on at some point. "D'you really think she knows?"

Haru lets the silence speak for him. "It's obvious now that your coat is changing, Rin."

"What do you mean?" Rin wants to know, reluctantly removing his hand from Haru's tail in favour of turning his complete attention on his mate. "That doesn't have anything to do with _this_."

"Yamazaki told me," Haru starts carefully, keeping his gaze firmly locked on the waves crashing into the rocks below. Rin can already tell he's not going to like what follows next. "It's unusual for someone like you—"

"That's bullshit!" He interrupts immediately, feeling his cheeks heat up along with his temper. "No one's ever approached me with an offer!"

"Isn't that because they can tell there's no point?" Haru points out unnervingly calmly, once again effortlessly stopping Rin straight in his tracks.

Rin mulls that over in his head for a long time, before he finally settles on a somewhat satisfying response: "You're biased."

Haru throws him an unimpressed look while the unspoken _'and you're not?'_ hangs heavily in the air between them. "If Yamazaki can accept it," He mutters quietly. "Gou will too. You're being stupid."

"It's not that I think she'd react badly!" Rin hurriedly corrects him. "She's _my little sister_ —I just don't want her to know about these things yet, y'know?"

"You're being stupid, Rin." Haru repeats with a long-suffering sigh. "Her wings are going to look just like yours do now when you return in the autumn."

Rin knows that, really, he does, but he doesn't like to think about Gou growing up—or their impending trek across the Pacific. "Please don't mention that right now," He warns, placing an apologetic kiss down on Haru's shoulder before leaning his head against the same spot and closing his eyes. "Fuck, Haru... I'm going to miss you."

He should be used to it by now, to saying goodbye to Haru, but he honestly doubts he ever will be. Instead of getting easier every summer, well... it only gets that much harder. It's not that he doesn't enjoy the thrill of testing his skills or improving his speed out in the open. It's just that Rin has _already_ proven himself a capable flyer: he's the fastest amongst his age group—has plenty of shiny medals to prove it—and he made it there completely on his own merits.

He's still young, but he has successfully fulfilled his childhood dream. Isn't it normal then, that he no longer has the desire to explore the vast ocean out there and the sights it has to offer _on his own?_ Everything would feel so much more meaningful if he could only share it with his chosen mate. He's adept at choosing his own path without hesitation, yet there's no denying how much brighter his world becomes when Haru is swimming in front of him like a beacon—occasionally breaching the water while he races the shadow Rin's wings cast upon the waves. If only one day they could fly to the ends of the world together like that.

"Don't cry, Rin," Haru beseeches, audaciously wrapping an arm around Rin's waist and tugging him close. "The water will connect us."

Rin scowls at him—despite the fact that he knows that kind of reaction is exactly what Haru is aiming for—and promptly shoves him back into the water in revenge. "I wasn't crying, you jerk!" He yells as soon as a disgruntled Haru resurfaces. "How are you liking that water now? If you're not careful, I'm going to rescind that offer of a blowjob!"

"I didn't need one anyway." Haru immediately retaliates; leaving Rin dripping wet—and spluttering with mock outrage—with a well-aimed slap of his tail.

Rin doesn't bother coming up with a suitable reply to that. Instead, he dives into the water with an enormous splash and an explosion of bubbles. Haru's strong arms find their way around his torso reassuringly quickly and Rin lets him guides them both back to the surface, where they waste no time in seeking out each other's wet lips. Their chests slide together rather distractingly while they allow the waves to support their weight, and Rin swiftly looses himself in the intoxicating feeling of Haru's warm body pressed against his own in the cool water.

When they eventually break apart to catch their breath, Rin blurts out the one thing he never thought he'd find the courage to say: "Come with me, Haru."

Haru freezes, clearly taken aback by the unexpected request. Rin anxiously bites his lip to prevent himself from taking it back, trying to focus on the rhythmic movement of the ocean instead of his rising panic. "What are you talking about?"

Rin should have known Haru wouldn't make this easy for him. Damn it. "During the summer," He clarifies nervously. "You could come with us— _with me_."

"Is that a good idea?" Haru asks after a long pause, raising his hand to softly trail his fingers through Rin's wet fringe in a clear attempt to soften the blow. It doesn't really work.

"It's a brilliant idea!" Rin insists. "Like you said, Sousuke and... _and_ Gou _,_ they'd both welcome you! You're an amazing swimmer, so you'd be able to keep up just fine. I'll explain it to my mother, but she usually doesn't stay around us youngsters for long, really, and she knows how much I—" He breaks off there, because Haru already knows exactly how much Rin loves him _and it's embarrassing._

"Just because Yamazaki accepted me as your mate doesn't mean he wants me anywhere near your colony, Rin." Haru protests in a tone of voice Rin has only rarely heard him using before. It scares him a little. "I come from a pod of promiscuous water-dwellers, remember?"

Rin snorts despite himself. The idea of Haru building some kind of winged harem, even though that isn't quite what Sousuke had meant to imply at the time, is absolutely preposterous. "That was _once,_ and he apologised for that!" A split-second later, nearly tripping over his own words in his haste, he adds: "You might not be able to feel our bond, but I do... it's always _there,_ like a tangible thing for me, yeah? Even if they don't approve—right away, I mean—they'll have to accept it because _it can't be changed_."

"I know that," Haru mutters, looking properly chastised. "When do we leave?"

Rin practically chokes on his own tongue in surprise. "W-wait!" He stutters, unnecessarily loudly, staring at Haru with wide eyes. Had he really heard that right? " _What?!_ "

"To annoy Yamazaki," Haru specifies, stubbornly staring at a spot on Rin's collarbone. "I'll come along for one summer."

Rin can only gape at him in shock—until Haru closes the distance between them and covers Rin's open mouth with his own.

 

* * *

 

"Haru!" Rin calls, practically shouting to be heard over the roiling waves hitting the rocks a good five meters below. "Are you ready?"

"What for?" It's easy to make out Haru's amused eye-roll, even from this distance. Rin smiles to himself, self-indulgently allowing a nearby current to lift him a little higher just so he'd be able to subtly admire the way the wind plays with Haru's dark hair a little longer—his fringe is surprisingly dry, which means he must've been waiting there for a good while. "Get down here!"

Isn't it obvious? Honestly, Rin has only been talking about it _for days_. "We're going sightseeing!"

**Author's Note:**

> For those who made it this far, here's a couple of random facts you never even asked for:
> 
> \- I Google'd dolphin & albatross speeds! :'D They _could_ actually race each other, although the results would probably depend a lot on water and air currents.  
>  \- Albatrosses are actually really, really, really amazing.  
> \- Dolphins tails apparently _do_ feel like wet rubber! Huh, who knew.  
>  \- They can also pick up items with their penises, but I'm pretty sure they can't do all the things Haruka does in this fic.  
> 


End file.
